We have PEACHES!! This is a monumental weekend to us, as it is our first ever peach harvest. We were able to include two amazing peaches in each share this week.

Included in this week's share was a big bag of basil, a quart of edamame, a bag of spicy salad mix, a container of live wheatgrass, three heads of garlic, two juicy peaches and either a medium brandywine or a mixed variety of cherry and grape tomatoes.

This week's share:

* We will be continuing to harvest tomatoes as we can; with the weather being so chilly we are unable to get a consistent amount of any one variety. Each share's variety will differ.

**Wheatgrass will either be 2-4 inches in height or just starting to sprout.See the lower right of this email for details.

Spotlight:Peaches

Three years ago our farm began leasing one half acre of land from the City of Cleveland near East 59th Street. We decided before breaking ground to devote the entire property to perennial fruits that could provide deliciously potent natural sugars for our customers. We planted about half the property with an arrangement of pear trees, plum trees, peach trees, and raspberries. Since these are perennial plantings we knew that getting them to produce enough food for our customers would be labor intensive as well as a waiting game because perennial plants often take a few years before they produce fruit.

After preparing beds in 2011 we were able to plant one year old dormant trees in the early spring of 2012. Since then, we have battled a month long drought, ferocious weeds, and little critters that love fresh fruit. In the drought of 2012 we lost many of our plum and pear, however, nearly all of the peach trees pulled through and have been growing like crazy. 22 peach trees to be precise, and on them, to our humble surprise...peaches. Lots of peaches. We are truly excited to be able to include peaches from our east side location in this week's share. The peaches in your bag this week are the first fruits we have harvested from this site. The variety is called 'Intrepid', and they are ripe when almost entirely red. Enjoy.

Share your recipes

We'd love to hear what you've made!Email us at centralrootsfarm@gmail.comif you have recipe ideas you'd like us to share in future emails!

Edamame

Edamame are fresh picked green soybeans. The beans are great raw in salads and lightly steamed and removed from their pods (which are inedible). See our easy edamame appetizer recipe below. When eaten in their raw form soy beans are one of the highest non-animal sources of protein and have high levels of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin C, Riboflavin, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Copper, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

Place edamame and water into a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 4-6 minutes. Drain any excess water and serve as is or with salt. Eat edamame by squeezing the beans from the pod into your mouth... do not eat the pod, trust us.

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Wheatgrass Whether you plan to keep your wheatgrass for a couple weeks or harvest it once for a smoothie, these easy steps will help you get there. Wheatgrass grows at an alarming pace and will be ready to harvest when it reaches 6-8 inches in height.

Wheatgrass is known for its high nutrient and micronutrient content and is mainly used in smoothies or juiced by itself. Alone, it is definitely an acquired taste, but blended in with a smoothie it’s hardly noticeable. We recommend at least trying it once and having fun with it!

Wheatgrass is also used in commercial form as ‘cat grass,’ so if you aren’t as keen on taking a healthy shot of it yourself, your pets will absolutely love it!